The return from the Eastern Sage Sect was quiet, mostly because Empress Zhao Ling was unconscious. Learning to rewire one's entire nervous system to bypass the spine and run on pure Spirit Energy was, apparently, exhausting.
She slept in Jiang Fan's lap the entire flight back.
When they landed in the Capital, the mood had shifted. The carnival atmosphere was still there—tourists were still buying "Lazy King" plushies—but the air was thick with salt.
The wind was blowing from the East. And it smelled like a storm.
THE STATE OF THE EMPIRE
The next morning, the War Room (formerly the Imperial Dining Hall) was covered in maps and ledgers.
"Supreme Elder, Your Majesty," Boss Pang wiped sweat from his brow. "Before we discuss the fish-people invasion, we must review the quarterly report."
He clicked a button on a projector Gu Ling had built.
[ IMPERIAL STATUS REPORT: Month 2 of the Lazy Dynasty ]
CategoryStatusNotesTreasury+150,000 GoldRecovered from bankruptcy via tourism and "Tank Ride" ticket sales.Debt0 GoldSuccessfully transferred 50M debt to "Emperor Wang" (currently fleeing for his life).Public OrderHigh (85%)Citizens are happy. Free "Nap Time" mandates are very popular.MilitaryLow1 Tank (War-Lotus), 1 Airship (Sky-Whale), 5,000 Royal Guards (mostly ceremonial).Key ExportsSouvenirs"I Survived the Tank Tour" T-Shirts are the #1 seller.Key ImportsPainkillersHigh volume of analgesic herbs for the Empress.Threat LevelEXTREMEThe Azure Tide Empire is mobilizing 10,000 ships.
"We are rich in cash," Boss Pang summarized. "But we are poor in ships. If the Azure Tide attacks from the sea, we have no navy. We can't put the tank in the ocean. It sinks."
"It floats!" Gu Ling interjected defensively. "Briefly."
Jiang Fan stared at the chart. He pointed to the "Key Exports" section.
"Why aren't we exporting my spicy squid recipe yet?"
"The patent is pending, sir."
Empress Zhao Ling sat at the head of the table. She looked different. Her eyes were brighter, glowing with a faint white light. She wasn't wearing her armor today, just loose training robes.
"Money isn't the problem," the Empress said. Her voice carried a strange resonance, echoing slightly. "The problem is range. Their Tsunami Mages can strike from five miles offshore. We need to hit them before they hit the city."
She looked at her hands.
"I need to train. Pang, buy all the Spirit Crystals you can find. Gu Ling, upgrade the coastal defenses. I'll be in the garden."
"Do you need the transfer board?" Jiang Fan asked, standing up.
"No," the Empress smiled faintly. "Watch this."
She closed her eyes. The white light in her eyes flared.
HUMMM.
Her wheelchair didn't move. Instead, her body glowed.
Slowly, shakily, she lifted out of the chair. Her legs dangled limp beneath her, toes dragging on the floor, but her torso was suspended by telekinetic force.
She floated—hovering three inches off the ground—toward the door.
It was impressive.
It lasted five seconds.
fizz.
The light died. Gravity reclaimed her.
"Whoops," she gasped as she dropped.
Jiang Fan was there instantly. He caught her before her knees hit the stone floor.
"Nice air time," Jiang Fan grinned, holding her up. "But your battery life is terrible."
"I'm working on it," she panted, leaning heavily against him. "Carry me to the garden?"
"Your chariot awaits."
THE GLASS CANNON
The Royal Garden had been cleared of tourists for "Private Cultivation."
Jiang Fan sat on a bench, eating an apple. The Empress sat in her wheelchair in the center of the grass.
"The Broken Heaven Scripture," she recited, eyes closed. "The body is a vessel. If the vessel is cracked, the water leaks. So, do not be the vessel. Be the river."
She raised her hand.
Ten meters away, a massive stone boulder (leftover from the Emperor's crash) began to rattle.
"Up," she commanded.
The boulder shot into the air. It weighed at least two tons.
"Spin."
The boulder spun like a top.
"Crush."
She clenched her fist. An invisible force imploded the boulder, turning it into dust.
"Impressive," Jiang Fan noted. "Telekinesis. Very Jedi."
"It's not just lifting," she opened her eyes. They were blazing white. "I can shield myself. I can fly. I can..."
She tried to lift herself out of the chair again. She hovered up, higher this time—two feet.
"Look, Jiang Fan! I'm taller than you!"
Suddenly, a spasm hit her right leg. The involuntary kick broke her concentration.
The flow of Qi stuttered.
"Ah!"
She fell. Two feet doesn't seem like much, but when you can't use your legs to catch yourself, it's a hard drop.
Jiang Fan didn't use a technique. He just moved fast. He slid across the grass and caught her.
They tumbled onto the lawn.
"I lost focus," she whispered, frustration leaking into her voice. "My leg kicked, and the connection snapped. I'm a glass cannon, Jiang Fan. One hit, one distraction, and I drop."
Jiang Fan lay on the grass, holding her. He smoothed her hair back.
"That's why you have a tank," he said gently. "The telekinesis is your weapon. The tank is your armor. And I..."
He tapped his chest.
"...I am the seatbelt."
He sat up, pulling her with him.
"You're trying to do everything alone, Ling. You don't need to fly alone. You just need to shoot the bad guys while I fly."
"Teamwork?" she asked, wiping grass off her paralyzed legs.
"Co-op mode," he corrected. "Now, let's go check on Gu Ling. She said something about 'weaponizing the coastline'."
THE FIRST WAVE
They never made it to the workshop.
A siren wailed across the Capital. It was a sound the city hadn't heard in fifty years.
THE TSUNAMI ALARM.
Jiang Fan picked up the Empress and ran to the ramparts.
They looked East.
The ocean, usually miles away from the city walls, was gone. The water had receded, sucking the harbor dry, leaving fish flopping in the mud.
On the horizon, a wall of water was rising. It wasn't natural. It was dark blue, glowing with runes, and it was moving against the wind.
Riding on top of the wave were ships. Hundreds of sleek, bone-white vessels made of coral and shark skin.
The Azure Tide Empire.
"That's a big wave," Jiang Fan noted calmly.
"It's a Stage 8 spell," the Empress said, her eyes narrowing as she sensed the Qi signature. "Grandmaster Level. If that hits the city, the lower districts will be wiped out."
She grabbed Jiang Fan's lapels.
"Put me in the tank. Now."
"The tank can't swim, Ling."
"I don't need it to swim," she said, her voice hard. "I need it to anchor me. I'm going to punch a hole in that wave."
THE ANCHOR
Jiang Fan didn't argue. He sprinted to the courtyard where the War-Lotus Mark II was parked.
He strapped her in. He tightened the harness until she gasped.
"Tighter," she commanded. "If I move, I lose focus."
He locked her down. She was fused to the machine.
"Gu Ling!" The Empress shouted over the comms. "Engage the locking clamps!"
On the tank's treads, massive spikes shot out, driving deep into the stone of the rampart. The tank was now an immovable turret.
The wave was closing in. It was two hundred feet tall. The shadow of it fell over the city. Civilians were screaming, running for higher ground.
"Jiang Fan," the Empress said. "Stand behind me. If I pass out, make sure I don't swallow my tongue."
"I'm right here," Jiang Fan stood on the back of the tank, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Borrow my calm."
She closed her eyes.
She didn't use the tank's cannon. She used her mind.
She reached out with her Spirit Sense. She felt the massive weight of the water. She felt the magic holding it together.
Broken Heaven Scripture: First Form.
[ The Invisible Wedge ]
"BREAK!" she screamed.
Her eyes flared blinding white.
An invisible blade of pure telekinetic force shot out from the palace walls. It hit the center of the Tsunami.
CRACK.
The sound was like a mountain snapping.
The spell holding the water together shattered. The massive wave split down the middle.
Instead of crashing into the city, the water was diverted left and right, smashing harmlessly into the cliffs outside the city limits.
The coral ships riding the wave tumbled into the dry harbor mud, crashing into each other.
"Bullseye," the Empress gasped.
Then, her eyes rolled back. Her head slumped forward.
"Warning: System Overload," Gu Ling's voice chirped. "The pilot has fainted."
Jiang Fan caught her head before it hit the control panel.
"Sleep well, Commander," he whispered.
He looked out at the muddy harbor where the Azure Tide fleet was currently stuck in the mud, thousands of fish-soldiers confused and angry.
Jiang Fan cracked his knuckles.
"Yun Xi," he called out.
"Yes, Master?" The maid appeared, holding her mace.
"The Empress is napping. These fish people are being too loud."
He jumped off the wall, floating down toward the enemy fleet.
"Let's go fillet them."